The Three Ideals

Causing change isn’t an accident. It’s a purpose.

When we change ourselves, we can – and should – change the world.

Change is hard. Causing change is even harder. That is because creating change means convincing others that the transformation in ourselves is worth working towards themselves. That can scare a great many people. It is also necessary for achieving what we call the Three Ideals.

The Three Ideals are the ultimate goals of practicing Leadership Zen. They reflect both our individual personal missions, as well as our desire to cause change on a more global scale. They are also rooted in the Three Essences, because like all ecosystems your personal well-being requires constant maintenance and should end up feeding a greater purpose. Ours include:

Balance, or the ability to nurture the professional self, the social self, and YOURself so that they are all in good shape. This does not mean creating a work-life balance, which is a negative compromise. Balance refers to active growth and attention to all of your Three Essences.

Renewal, or the ability to understand and tend to the energy needs of your body, your mind, and your spirit. This requires both a high degree of authenticity as well as a strong commitment to practice. It often an area we neglect.

Sustainability, or the ability make commitments into habits. All the knowledge in the world is useless if not turned into action, and sporadic action is never as good as the long-lasting effect of a well maintained ecosystem.

Much of what we will present here, our blogs, our tools and resources will focus in these three areas because they much more represent the practice of Leadership Zen versus its philosophy. Learning these Three Ideas is critical to your success as a practitioner as well as expanding your own personal influence and fulfillment in all you do.

But as always with Leadership Zen, there is a broader, more global goal in mind that we’d like you to consider, and to be a part of. That is causing change in the world to balance, renew, and sustain the Earth’s ecosystem as well. Far from a far out appeal for more recycling or less lumber, this is a real call to action to understand that we have one planet, one home, and we as a species are causing great damage to it, largely due to sheer laziness or the desire for more profits in our business. Laziness is not an excuse, and profits can come from being more responsible with Mother Earth.

We’ve had five mass extinctions since this planet was born. Scientists suggest we are on the verge of a sixth. The difference is this one won’t come from an asteroid hitting the planet and casting up clouds of dust. This one will all be on us, which is sad – but it also means it is preventable.

Read more on global sustainability here, but the principles for the globe are similar to those four ourselves. Balance competing priorities so that we’re always focused on the good of the planet in social, environmental, and economic matters. Renew what’s been broken, and seek ways to not break it again. Create interconnected, sustainable solutions that are daring, easy to implement, and permanent. That is how we change the world, one life at a time – starting with your own.